


On Trees, Ghosts, and Reindeers

by Wordsdear



Category: One Piece
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-21 18:32:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14290875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wordsdear/pseuds/Wordsdear
Summary: After the bodyswapping mess that was Punk Hazard, Sanji and Chopper talk about Chopper being in Sanji's body. Spoiler Warning for post Punk Hazard and also Whole Cake Island





	On Trees, Ghosts, and Reindeers

The lights were off in the infirmary, Sanji had seen Chopper run in not too long ago, so just in case, he knocked as he entered. Chopper did take reindeernaps in here sometimes.

“Chopper? I brought some tea and cookies, the ladies didn’t want it all”

The small reindeer had his head on the desk, turned, eyes staring into the wall

Sanji carefully set the platter down and waited.

Chopper continued to stare past the ever so delicious tea and cookies at the wall.

Sanji coughed.

“It’s fine. I‘m not crying. Just thinking,” said as if it as if it was a point of pride, he was going to have to kick Zoro for this later

“I am not leaving ‘till you eat something”

“We just had a giant feast on Punk Hazard, I am not hungry”

 

“That was four hours ago. You ate a bowl of curry and snuck Luffy the rest of your food.” It had been twelve hours, and give or take fifteen minutes (he had got distracted with all the screaming children and rearranged Samurai, sue him) since Chopper had last eaten anything substantial.

Chopper still staring at the wall reached out a hoof, stabbed a cookie with it and shoved the whole thing into his mouth. Through the crumbs, he huffed

“I am fine”

Sanji spun on his heels and made for the door.

“Whatever you say Doc”

His hand on the door, Sanji froze.

“Doctor Chopper?”

Still nothing. Not even a laugh or cries of “you bastard”

Sanji marched over slamming his hands on the desk. Chopper didn’t so much as blink, his gaze still fixed on the wall.

“So, what are you not crying about?”

“It is just stupid stuff okay, nothing serious”

Taking a step back, Sanji took a seat on the infirmary bed and kicked up his feet, no comment from the Doctor about dirty foot prints on his sheets. The reindeer still wouldn’t meet his eyes.

 

“Try me”

“It is about trees, okay!? CAN YOU PLEASE LEAVE?”

“What.” It slipped out as he tapped a cigarette from the pack and lit it.

Chopper stood on the chair to properly yell at him, still only head level with the seated Sanji

“TREES I SAID TREES OKAY?! I AM A TREE!”

Sanji took a deep breath holding the smoke and then out again letting it fill the room. The rule of ‘no smoking death sticks in the infirmary’ seemed to have been forgotten.

“Sorry, I don’t get the joke.”

“BECAUSE IT IS NOT A JOKE, I AM SERIOUS!”

“Okay Chopper, you are tree. And a reindeer. Anything else you need to tell me?”

It was probably just a game with Usopp that Chopper had lost

The next bit was a whisper, Sanji had to lean forward to hear him.

“You know how Law swapped us all around?”

Yeah, I got to be Nammiiii swwwaaaaaaaaaaan” he managed to pop his heart eyes back just in time to hear

“I got to be human for a bit. I was you.”

“I know”

and the flood gates opened

“It has been so long, so long since I have wanted that. Before I met you guys all I wanted to be was human. I would of given anything for it. And one day Luffy and you guys just show up and suddenly it didn’t matter that I wasn’t quite human. I belonged. And then I lost you guys. We separated to train for two years and I was happy to be a monster as long as I could help Luffy, I didn’t care about anything else. So why is it that next thing you know, Law just shows up and puts me in your body. Human at last.”

Sanji dared to interject

“And how was that”

Chopper quietly and with a little snort

“Cold”

Reaching out a hand Sanji nudged the tea a little closer. Hooking his hoof in the handle of the cup, Chopper took a sip and continued

“I dreamed of being human for so long and I only get it after I don’t want it anymore. “

“That’s rough buddy”

Chopper turned and glared at Sanji

“Who said you could smoke in here?”

“Sorry sorry” and Sanji stuck the still smoking cigarette behind his ear.

“The worst part is, it isn’t even as good as I imagined it. When I used to dream of being human, it was always a huge shining moment of realization. That my devil fruit finally really clicked and I would come down from the mountain and everyone would love me. Except it turns out, being human is kind of boring. You are strong Sanji, but just one form is so limiting. And I couldn’t punch anything as you either” Chopper stared at Sanji’s hands.

“Sorry about that. Getting my dashing good looks for a few hours aside. How do trees work into this again?”

Chopper took another sip.

“I couldn’t help thinking about what if I got to stay human. Maybe not necessarily your body, seriously how are you so strong but so scrawny? Your suits aren’t warm at all. Anyways, let’s say I got Law to switch me with someone permanently. If he can even do that and if I wanted him to, which I don’t. Would Luffy want me on the crew anymore? I wouldn’t be a seven point transforming reindeer and that is why he asked me to join in the first place. He didn’t even know I was a doctor, remember? So if I lost that, why am I here? I heard from you guys about how on Thriller Bark Luffy asked a tree zombie to join the crew, a tree. He thought I was cool and weird and that is the only reason I am on this ship. I am a tree. If I lose that…well doctors are a dime a dozen. He has Law now after all. “

“So you are afraid Law is going to replace you?”

“No!”

“Chopper I-”

“This is why I didn’t want to talk to you about this. I know I am being silly. Like Luffy would ever let anyone leave? I’d have to fight him like Usopp did all those years ago. And that didn’t even stick. Once you are Luffy’s, you are Luffy’s for life. I know that. So I am not upset, I am not even really thinking about it and I am not crying”

“You need to spend less time with Usopp”

“Shut up”

Sanji set his hands on his knees, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 

“Chopper, I am going to tell you a story.”

“Isn’t that Usopp’s job”

“Don’t interrupt. There was once a little boy who didn’t want to be human. He grew up with monsters, human looking but cold to the touch, heartless and scarily strong. No matter what the little boy did, he couldn’t match them. Knowing that the boy was weak, and had a heart they tortured him and made his life a living hell. Until one day…”

Chopper who was by now an expert in all the Usopp tales, interrupted with his eyes almost stars

“He slew them and sailed into the sunset?”

“No. Until one day he ran away. He got lucky and with a bit of help from one of the nicer monsters he got out of there”

“and became a cook.”

Sanji had forgotten how smart Chopper was.

“No, he died”

“Sorry, was that supposed to cheer me up? A kid wants to be anything but human, fails and runs and dies? Maybe you should leave the stories to Usopp.” Chopper shook his head and made to leave

“Wait the story isn’t done yet. The boy dies and his ghost haunts a cranky old man. Who teaches him how to cook, and eventually he learns to be a real boy again.”

“What”

“He gets strong so strong he can fight any monster.”

“Does he slay the monsters he grew up with?”

“No. he never sees them again”

“Remind me again how this is relevant”

Sanji waved his hands in exasperation

 

“Wanting something so bad it hurts and then letting it go. Finding a different way to get the same result. The boy wanted to be strong and that is what he became, with some help. It isn’t a perfect hypothetical example-“

“Hypothetical?”

“Like I was saying, you wanted to be human so you could have friends. You made friends and got super strong. But no matter how strong you are, you are still Chopper. If you took away your devil fruit, you would still be Chopper. Hell you could take away all of your doctor knowledge and shit, and you would still be Chopper. You’d still be a straw hat. Cause none of those are why you are on this ship.“

“Thanks Sanji..I guess”

“What?”

“All that stuff you said, I know all that. It’s just that something I thought was impossible suddenly is. Except it isn’t. And I can’t stop thinking about it”

 

“And that’s okay. You can run over it a thousand times and no matter what you decide or don’t decide we will still be here”

**Author's Note:**

> Sanji is trying his best. A continuation of Sanji low key being Chopper's dad


End file.
